Electrical engineering meets our worldviews, in class
By Melani Plett
November, 2000
For SPU’s New Faculty Seminar
In the winter quarter of 2001, I will be teaching a course on electrical and electromechanical control systems to our electrical engineering seniors. Both the stage at which this
course comes in the students’ tenure in our program and the course topic suggest that this course
could provide a forum for a meaningful discussion of the relationship between the electrical
engineering field, the students’ worldviews, and the Christian faith. The primary objective
would be to further the students’ reflection on these relationships to aid the students in
considering their roles in their chosen career field. A secondary objective would be to enhance
the students’ understanding of control systems by considering their experiential knowledge of the
adaptive feedback present in the connections among a person’s or community’s faith, worldview,
and way of life. To accomplish these objectives, I envision using of a short segment of class
time each week for discussion (possibly 15 minutes), augmented by two short reflection papers.
The topics chosen for these discussions and papers must be selected to be complementary and
progressive in nature. In the balance of the paper I will consider a series of topics and comment
on possible directions to which the discussions might lead. The purpose here is to lay out for
myself a road map that I could follow in implementing these ideas in my course. I am confident
that, despite my inexperience in leading discussions of this nature, this will be a worthwhile
effort: any student reflection on these issues is better than none.
Week 1: The first topic must be to introduce the concept of the worldview. Here the
worldview would be introduced as a person’s or community’s response to four questions. 1)
Where am I? 2) Who am I? 3) What’s wrong (evil)? 4) What’s the solution? It will be pointed
out that the answer to these questions is dependent on the person’s or community’s own story.
Additionally, a worldview is something that comes to every person by the virtue of being human;
every person has a worldview regardless of whether it is consciously held or not. The worldview
encompasses the beliefs that the person holds deeply, even if the person cannot logically defend
those beliefs. Worldview can be further understood by realizing that it does not exist in a
vacuum. It is first informed by the person’s or community’s faith, and then, itself, informs the
person’s or community’s way of life, which, in turn, informs faith. This first discussion of
worldview in the control systems course would conclude with the consideration of this mutual
informing cycle as an example of a tremendous feedback system. This control system is more
vitally important, and has much greater implications, than any other control system that will be
encountered in the course. It will also serve as an experiential model for various control system
topics.
Week 2: Having encouraged the students to consider their worldviews, the next topics to
address would be the connections between their worldviews and electrical engineering. This
class discussion would focus on portions of the topic of the first paper that I composed for this
New Faculty Seminar: why should a Christian be an engineer? Specifically, we would consider
an integrative question: where is electrical engineering consistent with your (the student’s)
worldview? Furthermore, where is it consistent with a Christian worldview? I envision initially
garnering discussion among the students regarding their answers to these. I would then attempt
to categorize their responses according to my previous reflections, which can be summarized in
several areas. First, the electrical engineering field is founded on the physical laws of God’s
creation. It responds to God’s command to subdue the earth. It is founded on the intellect and
creativity given by God to humanity. It is carried out by men and women as they act in the
image of God in applying these gifts. Finally, its intention is consistent with Christ’s instruction
to serve mankind.
Week 3: The third week would focus on the question that is a corollary to the one of
week 2: where does the electrical engineering field diverge from your (the student’s) worldview
and the Christian worldview? Again, subsequent to a general discussion, I would attempt to
categorize the students’ ideas according to my own previous reflections. These reflections have
focused on the idea that electrical engineers often idolize technology, in many ways rely on
society’s idolatry of technology, and have generated products that are completely against God’s
intention for humanity.
Week 4: Based on the earlier discussions, we would now be ready to address a practical
question: what should be the role of an engineer in society? Similarly, we would ask the more
personal question: what should be your (the student’s) role in society, as an engineer?
Furthermore, another question should be considered: what should be the role of a Christian
engineer in society? My personal reflection on the latter two questions are that the Christian
engineer, including myself, should serve fellow man and God, should act in the image of God,
should employ and care for the earth’s resources, and should aim to redirect the engineering field
to be more in line with God’s purposes. It seems to me that the role of all engineers in society
should be the same as the role of the Christian engineer, but I will be interested to interact with
my students on that point!
Paper #1: Now it would be appropriate for each student to write a brief, 1 - 1 ½ page
reflection paper addressing the following question: how does being an engineer consistently fit
into your (the student’s) worldview? In responding to this question, the student should think
through some other questions. 1) What is the student’s worldview? 2) Is it consciously held?
3) How does the student answer the four worldview questions? This paper will provide for
merely preliminary thinking on these topics. The goal of this paper is simply to prod the
student’s thinking.
Week 5: This week would focus on an even more practical question: based on your (the
student’s) worldview, what defines a “good” control system or design? Here I would expect
responses along the lines of the following issues: it serves mankind; it is safe for the
environment and humanity; it is lawful. Hopefully the student would consider the contrast
between a “good” design and one that is simply profitable or functional. In other words, the
focus of this week would be to help the student think through the implications of his or her
worldview on some of the everyday decisions that he or she would make as an electrical
engineer.
Week 6: At this point in the quarter the class will have learned many of the basic
concepts of controls systems. They are now ready to reconsider the feedback system in which
faith informs worldview which informs the way of life which, in turn, also informs faith. Here
we can discuss the direct application of the concepts of observability, controllability, and
appropriate feedback gain in terms of this most important experiential control system. For
instance, if there is an inconsistency in my faith, worldview and way of life, it will not be
corrected unless I do each of three things. 1) Observe this inconsistency in some way. 2) Find
a pathway through which to control or modify the inconsistent aspects. 3) Make adjustments
along this pathway that are neither too minimal to be inconsequential nor too drastic to be
detrimental. The same issues of observability, controllability, and appropriate degree of
response are fundamental to quality electrical control systems. This type of analogy can bring
insight into both spheres: worldview and electrical control systems. Perhaps knowing these
three issues from control systems theory would guide the student in exploring his or her
worldview. On the other hand, understanding the deep interrelationship among faith, worldview
and way of life might aid the student in considering the interrelationship among various
components of a controls system.
Week 7: Ethics is another important topic to consider in exploring the relationship
between our worldviews and electrical engineering. Of particular interest is the relationship
between the Institute of Electrical Engineering’s (IEEE) Code of Ethics and Biblical ethics. In
many ways the IEEE’s Code of Ethics is consistent with Biblical ethics, but the Bible has more
stringent expectations. In week 7 we would discuss these consistencies and additional
expectations such as loving our enemies and aiding the poor. The issue of ethics relates directly
to the topics of the earlier weeks. If time permitted we could enumerate these connections.
Week 8: The final week would ask each student to examine what he or she hopes to
contribute to the field of electrical engineering. The goal would be that the students would have
a greater impact on the profession if they have thought of this explicitly.
Paper #2: To further their thinking, I will have them write a one page reflection paper
addressing their hopeful contribution. Perhaps they will refer to this paper occasionally in their
future careers and redirect their paths.
I very much look forward to my students’ responses to these topics and questions.
Having briefly talked about these topics with my freshman this quarter in my USEM class, I am
very curious to discover the different insights that the seniors will have. I anticipate that, through
these discussions, I will grow and learn as much as or more than my students. I am also excited
about this course plan for another reason. One of our newly stated goals in our engineering
department is that our graduates can articulate the Christian worldview and understand its
relationship to society. This course plan will be a means to both facilitate this goal and provide a
first attempt at assessing its outcome. (I continue to be amazed at God’s timing in my life.) In
conclusion, the plan laid out here will provide the students only a cursory exploration into these
ideas, but, hopefully, the exploration will be an ongoing process for the rest of their lives.
Finally, to use Parker Palmer’s language from The Courage to Teach, I pray that God would
guide me both in creating the appropriate learning space and in asking the clarifying questions
that will lead the students to consider how to engage the engineering field with purpose and
direction, in keeping with God’s will for their lives.
Bibliography
Gallagher, Susan. Discussions in New Faculty Seminar. Seattle Pacific University: Fall 2000.
Holmes, Arthur F. Shaping Character: Moral Education in the Christian College. Grand
Rapids: Eerdmans, 1991.
Palmer, Parker. The Courage to Teach. San Francisco: HarperCollins, 1997.
Wolters, Albert M. Creation Regained: Biblical Basics for a Reformational Worldview. Grand
Rapids: Eerdmans, 1985.